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Isn't this just common sense?
Isn't this just common sense?
The general consensus between actual users seemed to be that the fumes were obviously toxic and you should avoid breathing them in. However, there were always people who denied this, and I've never seen a manufacturer warn users about the fumes.
PTFE fumes though...
I've seen these studies before and done some testing of my own and found this to be true to some degree. I've used PMSA003I and BME688 sensors to check for particulate and VOC's. I didn't notice any significant increase in PM1 or PM2.5 (which is probably to be expected since the particles emitted are probably <1um and lower than I can detect). I did see some increase in VOC's but nothing alarmingly high from baseline…
I've seen these studies before and done some testing of my own and found this to be true to some degree. I've used PMSA003I and BME688 sensors to check for particulate and VOC's. I didn't notice any significant increase in PM1 or PM2.5 (which is probably to be expected since the particles emitted are probably <1um and lower than I can detect). I did see some increase in VOC's but nothing alarmingly high from baseline…
In a lot of cases, the VOCs emitted when you melt plastics have "unknown" long term effects because nobody has been exposed to it in great levels for extended periods. We know some are potentially carcinogenic, but that's about it. This isn't true of candles, though. We have a pretty good idea of what candles can do to you.
Another more concerning part of 3D printing though is UFPs, which generally can't be filtered out easily by consumer grade air filters, and due to their tiny size can enter deeper nodules in the lungs. Reminds me of asbestos.
I'm no expert in any of this, but you should be worried about 3D printing fumes. The 3D printing community is going to become a long term study of the effects of microplastics imho.
The article is talking about FDM with PLA and ABS, but what a "commercial 3D printer" is basically meaningless. A ShapeWay's fancy MJF machines? A FormLab 2? Your Ender 3?
I've seen these studies before and done some testing of my own and found this to be true to some degree. I've used PMSA003I and BME688 sensors to check for particulate and VOC's. I didn't notice any significant increase in PM1 or PM2.5 (which is probably to be expected since the particles emitted are probably <1um and lower than I can detect). I did see some increase in VOC's but nothing alarmingly high from baseline…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The general consensus between actual users seemed to be that the fumes were obviously toxic and you should avoid breathing them in. However, there were always people who denied this, and I've never seen a manufacturer warn users about the fumes.
At least PLA fumes are far less toxic than ABS. So there's that. Which is nice. PTFE fumes though...
In practice though, the study shows PLA is safer because of significantly less fume creation with the lower printing temperature.
So relative risk for PLA is significantly lower than ABS, but it is incorrect to state that PLA is less toxic.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The general consensus between actual users seemed to be that the fumes were obviously toxic and you should avoid breathing them in. However, there were always people who denied this, and I've never seen a manufacturer warn users about the fumes.
At least PLA fumes are far less toxic than ABS. So there's that. Which is nice. PTFE fumes though...
Isn't this just common sense?
It's "common sense" if you're familiar enough with chemistry and biology to realize that melting plastic means some small fraction of it will 'burn' and end up in the air. On the other hand, many entry-level 3D printers are marketed at... children, effectively. They can make for amazing christmas presents, but there's no guarantee that either parents nor child has any idea how things work at that level. There's been…
Last time I was near one, I could clearly smell the unpleasant burning plastic.